By Karen Peattie
A COMPANY that claims to be Scotland’s first ethical printing and photocopying social enterprise has been awarded £100,000 from Social Investment Scotland (SIS) and more than £50,000 from the Scottish Government’s Adapt & Thrive programme to boost its business and recruit five new apprentices.
Social Print and Copy’s apprentice programme, aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds, has been developed to help young people kickstart their career and learn key technical skills in a social enterprise created with sustainability and lasting change at the heart of the business.
Launching next month, the programme’s young people will be based in SP&C’s Edinburgh office, alongside a group of leading charity partners and print industry professionals set up at the height of the pandemic to support SMEs and new organisations that often struggle to secure the finance they need for printer and copier technology.
The funding announcement comes as the firm is shortlisted for the 2021 Social Enterprise Awards Scotland’s One to Watch Award, which recognises charities and community organisations that deliver social and environmental impact in Scotland.
Ian Gray, SP&C’s founder and chief executive, said: “Our innovative business model and approach is a first for social enterprises in Scotland, with all profits we make put back into the sector to best service local communities through youth employment and education.
“SP&C was set up to address the mis-selling that plagues the printer and photocopier industries and to support SMEs who are unable to access appropriate finance. Our vision is to help educate and upskill third sector employees and trustees around the procurement of technology which in turn will help us to contribute to the local economy through creating jobs and supporting others to gain full time employment with partner organisations.”
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